Abrading roll



E. E. PRICE ABRADING ROLL May 9, 1939.

Original Filed July 1, 1935 INVENTOR v5. Pmc 4 ATTORNEYS EAR 6 M,

Patented May 9, 1939 UNITED STATES eATsNT OFFICE G. H. Tennant Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Original application July 1, 1935, Serial No.

29,305. Divided and this application Mav 24,

1937, Serial No. 144,426

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in abrading rolls, composed of steel wool or functionally equivalent material, wound on a suitable base, and to a method of winding such rolls to 5 produce a roll which will not cause streaking of the surface upon which it is used.

One of the problems in the art of making abrasive rolls by the use of steel Wool has heretofore been to so wind the abrasive material as to prevent what is known as streaking of a floor or other uneven surface being cleaned or abraded by the roll. I have found that this streaking is due to uneven winding, or to such close packing of the material, during formation of the roll, that various parts thereof cannot yield conformably to inequalities in the surface being abraded or p01- ished.

I have found that streaking is largely overcome if a softer more yieldable core layer is initially formed or provided, and if a more unyieldable layer or cylinder of abrasive material is superposed upon this softer cushioning layer. In this way, an inner cushion is provided which allows the various areas of the more hardly packed material to move inwardly and accommodate themselves to the non-coplanar or upstanding inequalities in the surface being abraded or cleaned.

An important object of the present invention therefore, is to provide an abrading roll made of steel wool, or of any equivalent abrading material, which is so constructed that it is not likely to damage the surface being treated, by streaking, as is frequently the case when using conventional abrading rolls, and whereby the operation of refinishing the surface may be expedited.

A further and more specific object of the in,- vention is to provide an abrading roll comprising an inner layer of a suitable cushioning material about which the outer abrading layer is wound, said inner layer forming a soft cushioning core for the outer layer whereby the latter may yield to irregularities in the surface being finished, and thereby prevent streaking or otherwise damaging the surface.

A further object is to provide a simple, inexpensive abrading roll, comprising an inner supporting member having a suitable cushioning material wound thereon and surrounded by a layer of steel wool, which provides the abrading surface of the roll, said cushioning material permitting the steel wool to yield, when the periphery of the roll engages upstanding irregularities in the surface of the floor, thereby preventing the roll from streaking the surface.

' This application is a division of my application Serial No. 29,305, now issued Patent No. 2,089,707.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and accompanying drawing and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawing there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved abrading roll;

Figure 2 is a view, partially in section, showing the unique manner of winding the steel wool onto the supporting member, whereby the inner layer of steel wool serves as a soft cushioning core surface to be refinished, and whereby the danger of streaking the surface by the action. of the roll is eliminated.

In the construction of the novel abrading roll herein disclosed, a tubular shell, generally indicated by the numeral 26, is provided, upon which the steel wool or other abrading material is wound. This shell may be provided with suitable prongs or fingers 40, to which one end of the steel wool may be attached, when starting the winding of the roll. The shell 26 is then rotated by suitable means such, for example, as the machine disclosed in my patent, hereinbefore mentioned, whereby the steel wool, which may be in the form of a ribbon or cord, is coiled about the core its entire length.

A light tension is applied to the steel wool that is first wound onto the shell, whereby a layer of steel Wool, generally indicated by the numeral I20, is provided on the shell 26. Because of the light tension applied to this first layer of steel Wool, it is comparatively loose on the shell, whereby it may readily yield and thereby serve as a soft cushioning core for the outer layer of steel wool,v subsequently to be wound thereabout.

When sufficient steel wool has been wound about the shell 26 to providethe desired thickness for the cushioning core I20, greater tension is applied to the ribbon of steel wool being wound onto the soft core I20. This relatively greater tension is maintained until the roll has been completed, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. In the drawing I have indicated the outer portion ,,or layer of the steel wool by the numeral IZI. By thus increasing the tension on the steel wool wound onto the first layer forming the cushioning core I20, the outer portion or layer I2I will be more dense in cross section than the inner layer I20, whereby it becomes more firm, and will provide an efii'cient, wear-resisting abrading surface. The inner layer I20, being less dense in cross section, because of being wound onto the shell 26 with less tension, provides a soft cushion for the outer abrading surface of the roll, whereby streaking and otherwise marring of the surface to be treated is entirely eliminated. This, as previously stated, results because of the outer surface of the roll being able to yield to any uneven or irregular surface of the floor, as a result of the inner cushion member I20.

The novel abrading roll herein disclosed, has been found very practical and efficient in re,- finishing old floors. The inner layer I forms a soft supporting base for the outer layer or abrading portion I2I of the roll. I have herein referred to the cushioning core I 20 as being made of steel Wool but it is to be understood that it may be made of any suitable material applicable for the purpose, which will retain the outer layer or portion I 2I in concentric relation with the shell 26 and will permit the outer layer to yield to irregularities in the surface of the floor being treated. The cushioning base or layer I20 is therefore, an important feature of the invention as, by its presence in the construction of the roll, the periphery of the roll may readily yield to pressure, whereby the danger of the periphery of the roll streaking the floor is entirely eliminated.

To prevent the layers of steel wool or other material wound about the shell 26 from relatively shifting in a lengthwise direction thereof, suitable flanges are preferably provided at the ends of the shell 26, and annular outwardly projecting ribs 41 may also be provided thereon intermediate the ends of the shell. The ribs 4| and also the elements 40 are covered or concealed by the inner soft layer I20 of the roll, as clearly A illustrated in Figure '2. A cross bar 42 may be provided in one end of the shell 26, as best shown in Figure 3 to facilitate handling the roll, and. which may also function as a driving means between the shell and the mandrel or driven element upon which the shell is mounted, when the steel wool is wound thereabout. This mandrel or driving element is not illustrated in the drawmg.

I claim as my invention:

1. An abrading roll comprising a suitable base having two concentrically related inner and outer layers of steel wool surrounding it and suitably secured thereto in relatively fixed relation, the inner layer being less dense than the outer.

2. An abrading roll comprising a suitable base having two concentrically related inner and outer layers of steel wool surrounding it and suitably secured thereto in relatively fixed relation, the inner layer being less dense than the outer, and the thickness. of said inner layerbeing less than the thickness of the outer layer.

3, An abrading roll comprising a tubular supporting member having outwardly turned flanges at its ends and provided with one or more annular ribs spaced apart lengthwise of the member, steel wool loosely wound on said member to cover the entire periphery thereof and to a predetermined thickness sufficient to conceal said annular ribs and providing a soft cushioning core, and additional steel wool wound about said soft cushioning core under relatively greater tension, whereby the steel wool Wound about said core is relatively more compact and dense than the steel Wool forming the core, whereby the periphery of the roll will offer greater resistance to wear, said relatively softer steel Wool core permitting the abrading surface of the roll to yield and thereby eliminate streaking of the surface being treated or finished.

4. An abrading roll comprising a tubular supporting member, a layer of steel. wool loosely wound on said member to cover the entire periphery thereof and providing a soft cushioning core, and another layer of steel wool wound about said soft cushioning core under relatively greater tension, whereby the layer of steel wool wound about said core is relatively more compact and dense than the steel wool forming the core, whereby the periphery of the roll will have greater resistance to Wear, said soft cushioning core permitting the .abrading surface of the roll to yield and thereby eliminate streaking of the surface being treated or finished.

EARL E. PRICE. 

